Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Trailer

Questions for reflection

What do you notice about color throughout the film? How does the color pallette compare to previous Harry Potter installments?

If you’ve followed Harry Potter for a while, how do you feel about the characters at this point? What makes the world J.K. Rowling created so engaging? What’s good or not good about how stories can pull us in?

Is this a children’s film? Why or why not?

What role does mourning play in this film? When are characters able to mourn well? When are they not?

The film contains many allusions to the Nazi regime and its oppression of the Jewish people. What allusions do you see? How does the film comment on historic events?

As the main characters have gotten older, there’s been a corresponding shift in romantic and sexual themes, both in the books and in the films.

What does this film demonstrate about friendship and romantic love in times of war, fear and terror?

How is music used throughout the film?

How do gender roles either fit or defy stereotypes in the film?

Reviewer Wesley Morris writes, “For a studio so clearly willing to take risks with so many of its movies, this particular movie has a whiff of exploitation. Rowling wrote one epic funeral that Warner Bros. requires us to attend twice.” Do you agree? Why or why not?